Exploring New Mexico

Itinerary

• Day One: UK to El Paso – Marriott El Paso

  Arrive in the Texas border city of El Paso and check into your hotel for an overnight stay in a 1 King Bed Room. Perhaps you’ll have time to enjoy El Paso Zoo and Botanical Garden, the El Paso Museum of Art, the colourful murals across the El Segundo Barrio, or even tour or watch a show at the historic Plaza Theatre. Or why not take the two-mile drive or walk up the Franklin Mountains and be rewarded with stunning vistas from Scenic Drive Overlook?

• Days Two to Three: El Paso to Alamogordo – Home2 Suites by Hilton Alamogordo White Sands

  Get behind the wheel and drive north into New Mexico towards Alamogordo to check into your King Studio for two nights. Spend the first day exploring the spectacular White Sands National Park, home to the world's largest gypsum dune fields, or head to Dune Life Nature Trail to go sand sledding and catch the sunset over the white dunes. Optional visits on day two could include New Mexico Museum of Space History, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, or a return to White Sands to watch the sunrise.

• Day Four: Alamogordo to Carlsbad – Hampton Inn & Suites Carlsbad

  Today’s drive takes you to Carlsbad for a one-night stay in a King Room. Travel east across the Chihuahuan Desert to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, one of America's most impressive cave systems. Don't miss seeing The Natural Entrance, The Big Room, and evening flight of Brazilian free-tailed bats exiting the cave at dusk! Or visit the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park to spot mountain lions and wolves; explore Carlsbad Museum’s Native American artefacts, and admire the Pecos River Flume.

• Day Four: Taos to Los Alamos - Holiday Inn Express & Suites Los Alamos Entrada Park

  Get back behind the wheel and drive to Los Alamos – via the scenic route of Rio Grande Gorge Bridge or the High Road and the Puye Cliff Dwellings - for an overnighter in a King Room. Learn how scientists built the first atomic bomb at Manhattan Project National Historical Park and get hands on with nuclear science at Bradbury Science Museum. Follow Bandelier National Monument’s canyon trails and see the Alcove House, the Long House, Tsankawi, Prehistoric Site, and ancient Pueblo homes.

• Day Five: Carlsbad to Ruidoso – Best Western Plus Ruidoso Inn

  Hit the open road and travel through ranch country towards the mountain resort town of Ruidoso; stopping en-route at Lincoln Historic Site, where the legend of Billy the Kid comes to life. Ride the Ski Apache high-speed gondola, hike around Grindstone Lake, and try local New Mexico wines and cheeses at Noisy Water Winery. And maybe take time to experience Midtown’s Sudderth Drive with its shops galleries, coffee shops, and cafés; before settling in for the evening in your King Room.

• Day Six: Ruidoso to Socorro – Best Western Socorro Hotel & Suites

  Head west through changing landscapes of mountains, lava fields, and desert – perhaps stopping to see the 5,000-year-old black basalt lava flow at Valley of Fires Recreation Area and the rich birdlife at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Arrive in the historic town of Socorro for a night’s stay in a King Bed Room. Leave the hotel behind to explore the crystals and gemstones at New Mexico Tech Mineral Museum or enjoy an authentic green chile cheeseburger at the Socorro Historic Plaza.

• Day Seven: Socorro to Albuquerque - Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town

  Today sees a leisurely drive north to Albuquerque for your final night in New Mexico in a 2 Queen Beds Room. Perhaps fit in a visit to Petroglyph National Monument, ride the Sandia Peak Tramway for breathtaking views over the Rio Grande Valley, or explore Historic Old Town's adobe buildings and galleries. Or why not dine on global cuisine and sip craft beer at the trendy Nob Hill district or tuck into traditional green chile dishes in Old Town’s Sawmill Market?

• Day Eight: Fly Back to the UK

  Fly back to London Heathrow via Houston with many happy memories to look back on of your Best of Southern New Mexico self-drive adventure.